21-Mar-2001

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing characters, nor am I making any money from this. The ideas of a Confessor and a Mord-Sith are from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. Many of the names of the monsters and locations are from the game of EverQuest. All of this is done without permission.
Note the warnings and please heed, If you can't deal, then don't read!
Warnings: AU, Fantasy, Dark, Angst, Shounen-ai, and (of course) Violence
Pairings: 1+2 3+4
Archive: Ask and you shall receive
Notes: Special thanks go out to Betty, my beta reader who is totally awesome. And to Kitsune and Maria, who patiently listened to my bitching and moaning about this part, and continued to encourage me long after I was ready to chuck the whole thing out the window. Thanks ladies!

Mord-Sith! by Annabell

Part Eleven

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart

     - Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

Palace of Light, Erudin

"Master, how can I please you?" Heero's softly spoken question echoed in the silent Throne room. None of the onlookers moved, stunned by the shocking turn of events that had resulted in Duo using his Confessor's power against Heero.

Duo closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the open adoration of Heero's expression. It was too alien to his usually neutral features. But Heero's will was gone, destroyed by the last, most powerful of Confessors. Duo took a deep breath, steeling himself. Odin had won this round. Now, Duo would have to think for both Heero and himself if they were to exact revenge. He swallowed hard, "Just do what I tell you," he commanded as he opened his eyes. The acceptance in Heero's countenance made Duo feel sick with self- loathing and rage. Rage directed at both himself and Odin Lowe.

A mocking laugh echoed through the huge chamber. Odin Lowe shook his head. "What a touching scene," he sneered in derision. He hadn't expected that Heero would willingly subject himself to the Confessor's touch. It had been too easy. Odin was disappointed. He had wanted to watch the usurper suffer more. Then he smiled as his twisted mind offered other, more attractive possibilities. The feelings Heero and Duo had for each other had become obvious in the past few brief moments and Odin smirked as he thought about the two of them. Emotions were a weakness he well knew how to exploit; the possibilities for tormenting them seemed endless.

"Shut up, Odin," Duo fired back through clenched teeth, well aware of how vulnerable they still were. "I did as you said, now let them go!" He tore his violet eyes away from the parody that was Heero, to the man responsible. If it were the last thing he did, Duo would make sure that Odin would pay, and pay dearly. That beast on the Throne would die, but not until he suffered long and hard for what he'd made Duo do to Heero.

The Emperor shrugged carelessly as he slouched back on the Throne. "Very well, take them." He gestured to the guards, who obediently stepped back away from their captives. Wufei nudged Meiran and they hurried to the small group of Mord-Sith trainees and ushered them back to Quatre and Trowa. All of them, with the exception of Heero, kept their distance from Duo.

Duo noticed that they weren't getting too close and didn't blame them, but he refused to let it distract him from his stare down with Odin. Never taking his eyes from the man sitting high on the Throne, Duo said to the others, "Let's get out of here."

Turning slightly to Heero but keeping his eyes on the Emperor, he made a decision. "Heero, I want you to make sure they get safely to Oz." Now, even if something happened to Duo, Heero would still carry on. He knew Heero couldn't argue with a direct order from his 'master'. The Confessor wanted to spare the young soldier's life. Then he sneered at himself for having such thoughts. 'You destroyed his mind, and now you want to spare his life? What kind of life will he have? You are an idiot, Maxwell. A hypocritical fool. Killing him would be more merciful, but you won't even do that.'

The sick feeling Duo had felt earlier had remained and was continuing to grow. To Duo's horror, he felt the warning tingle start behind his eyes. 'Oh gods not NOW!' he screamed in his head. This was too much. He couldn't pass out, not now when they needed him so badly. If they got out of there soon, Quatre could take charge. But they had to get out of the damned Palace first. If he lost consciousness, there was no telling what Heero might do. Seeing his master in pain might drive the young soldier insane with anxiety.

The sky through the stained glass windows was getting lighter. Then Wufei began to lead the small group to the entrance of the Throne room. Quatre looked back at Duo, who hadn't moved yet. Heero was waiting patiently beside him.

Duo looked at Heero out of the corner of his eye. "Go," he said.

Heero nodded, "I will guard them with my life, master," and immediately strode over to the small group, drawing his sword as he assumed a guarding position. If he felt distressed by the orders, there was no hint of it in his cobalt eyes. He was carrying out his master's wishes, therefore he was content.

Duo ruthlessly bore down on the tearing pain inside his skull and pushed it aside. Falling back on the years of brutal training under the Agiel, he focused his thoughts and turned his back to Odin Lowe and the rest of the Imperial court.

As he turned, his foot kicked the knife that Heero had twisted from his grasp. He bent down and picked it up, tucking it in his belt. Taking measured steps, he joined the small group heading for the main doors of the Throne room. With every step the pain grew, as well as the certainty that Odin wouldn't just let them go. The Emperor was too cruel to leave the situation alone. There was going to be more, there had to be.

As if he heard Duo's thoughts, Odin spoke up once more. "However, I did not give the princess leave to go. Meiran stays here." Odin voice rang clear in the Throne room, even managing to convey his smirk.

Quatre and the others turned around at the words, glaring at the Emperor. But Duo just stood there keeping his back to the Throne, his eyes closed. He wasn't really sure what Odin had planned, but with a sinking feeling in his gut, he knew it was going to be bad.

Wufei took a step toward the Throne. "No, she is coming with us," he contradicted, longing for a sword, any sword with which to wipe away that smirk from Odin's face. Meiran had risked her life to help him, and his honor demanded that he return the favor.

"I only agreed to the Midlanders and the children. The Faydwer princess is to be my wife, she stays," the Emperor replied smoothly; the honey and iron tone grated on the nerves of the Midlanders.

The blond mage turned to Middie, who was watching impassively. "Can't you do anything?" he asked. Middie shook her head, her clear eyes conveying nothing. Dorothy, standing beside her, was seething in helpless fury, but was unable to do anything due to Middie's grip on her forearm.

"It's not your choice, my dear," Odin said, unperturbed by the seething hatred in her voice. The first light of morning glinted off the steel in his gaze as he looked leeringly up and down her slight figure.

Wufei, seeing the look, stepped in front of her. His fists were clenched in rage as he glared at Odin. The tension in the Throne room grew, like a bowstring being drawn to the fullest. The slightest quiver would set it off.

It was Duo who broke the stressed silence. "Will you consider an alternative?" he asked, still facing away from the Throne.

Odin raised an eyebrow. "What do you propose, Confessor?" He was familiar with Duo's nature. He knew the Confessor couldn't help but try to save the princess if he could.

Duo opened his violet eyes, staring straight ahead at nothing. "A trade. If you let her go, I will stay here in Erudin. I won't interfere in your plans in any way. But I won't help you in any way either."

While the others had been arguing with the Emperor, Duo had been thinking. Sending them to Treize would buy them very little time, Duo belatedly realized. The Emperor, now knowing the true nature of the 'weapon' that had destroyed Bitterroot, would not hold back from going after Oz. Now no one was safe from Odin Lowe. The desperate beginning of a plan began to form in his mind. Offering himself as a trade was the one sure way he could think of to get Odin to let them go.

Quatre was studying Duo closely, trying to figure out what the Confessor's next move was going to be. The chestnut hair was glimmering in the pre-dawn light, clashing with the red leather Duo was wearing. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides. Quatre frowned as he noticed that Duo was drawing long, slow breaths through his mouth. The blond mage's eyes narrowed. If he didn't know better, he would swear Duo was in serious pain. But the Confessor wasn't wounded in any way that Quatre could see. "Duo?" he asked in an undertone.

Duo swung around at Quatre's unspoken question. He plastered a smile on his face as he unflinchingly returned the sky blue gaze. "Hey, it's ok, Quatre. He can't hurt me." It was true. Duo was immune to High magic. The Confessor could protect himself better than any of the group.

Meiran's black eyes widened in confusion and disbelief. That creature had coldly destroyed her father, the king of Faydwer, and in doing so, brought her country and herself into slavery. Now it was offering its life in exchange for hers. The princess felt a stab of righteous anger. She would never be beholden to the Confessor. She would rather lead a short, brutal life as Odin's wife, rather than owe the Confessor. "No," she said with her back straight, "I don't want or need your help," she snapped.

Duo barely glanced at her. "Shut up," he said, "this isn't about you." Then turned his back on them and walked back to the Throne. For the first time, Heero showed a small sign of concern. His cobalt eyes tracked the slight figure clad in red leather. Though he would never question Duo's commands, his anxiety at being separated from his master sent a quiver through his body and reflected in his eyes.

"How about it, Odin?" Duo asked, looking up at the Emperor through his long bangs. "Do we have a deal?"

Odin smirked to himself. This was going to be fun. "Very well, I accept."

Quatre bit his lip. The whole scenario reminded him far too much of the disaster at the fortress in Bitterroot. Both for his own safety as well as that of innocent people in the general vicinity, the blond mage was loathe to again leave the Confessor behind. Things tended to get very messy when Duo was left to his own devices.

Duo's violet eyes gleamed dully in the growing light. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. He had to move fast. "Quatre, get those kids out of here," Duo snapped not looking anywhere except at the Throne, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. Dammit! He would not let Odin win. He owed Heero too much to let his sacrifice be for naught. He was rewarded with the sound of footsteps receding from his position.

"Of course, I didn't say anything my son being able to leave either," Odin added, with a mockingly thoughtful look.

For a moment, Duo stared at Odin, the ripping pain in his head temporarily forgotten. Then, Duo's violet eyes narrowed under his long bangs. "You really don't want to go there, Odin," he said in a deceptively soft voice that housed a world of barely contained rage. A mockery of a smile played at his lips. The feeling of imminent violence filled the Throne room like an approaching storm. Obviously, the Emperor felt it as well, because the sneer slipped a little in uncertainty. "If you even think of hurting him, I will level this place. Is that clear?" Duo was bluffing, but Odin didn't need to know that. It was beginning to get hard to even stay upright.

Quick as a cat, Heero raised his sword and stepped in front of the group he was guarding. The cobalt-eyed soldier glowered at the Emperor and bent his knees slightly, lowering his center of gravity. He gripped his sword with steady assurance. All he needed was a word from his master and he would attack, not with unthinking fury, but with the cold calculation of a trained warrior. Heero was already taking into account positions of archers, guards and Mord-Sith. Swiftly, he categorized threats and non-threats. Nothing would get by him unless they killed him. And in that eventuality, he had already calculated how to take as many with him as he could.

Odin looked over at Middie, who was still watching the proceedings with a detached air. "Was my son part of the agreement?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"The heir only specified the children and his men. He did not include himself," she confirmed.

'Damn you, Heero!' Duo mentally cursed. His vision was beginning to go gray at the edges.

Satisfied, Odin turned back to Duo. "My son stays here, where I can keep an eye on him," he told Duo. Seeing the Confessor shaking with what he assumed was impotent rage, and loving every minute of it, he raised his voice. "Heero Yuy, come here."

Heero stayed where he was, however. "My master ordered me to protect these people, I will not disobey him," was his calm reply.

Odin frowned at Heero's refusal, but wasn't unduly disturbed by it. There was more than one way to skin a spirit stalker.

"Very well. Confessor, tell your pet to come here." Odin turned his sun on steel gaze back to Duo.

By now, Duo was swaying on his feet. He wiped a hand under his nose and it came away streaked with red, matching the leather he was wearing. But some part of Duo was stubborn to the end. "I'll order him to kill himself before I let you get your filthy hands on him," he gasped. Without warning, the marble floor tilted underneath his feet and rose up to slam him in the face.

"Master!"

No one actually saw Heero move, he just seemed to materialize in a crouch over the crumpled figure. With a terrified anxiety, he turned Duo over onto his back. Duo's eyes flared open at the touch and blearily focused on Heero bending over him. Blood was trickling out of his nostrils in a steady stream. 'Gods, it had never been this bad before. What is going on?' he thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but coughed weakly for a second, before he could find his voice.

"Heero, I am so sorry," he whispered. Then the blackness finally rose up to claim him.

Heero frantically felt for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it. It was weak and thready under the sweat-damped skin, but it was there.

"Step away from him," Odin ordered his son, who looked up at him with a stubborn glare but didn't answer. His master was hurt and he wasn't going to leave his side.

Seeing this, Odin sighed in aggravation. "If I remember correctly," he began in a forced patient voice, "you're master wanted you to protect that group of Midlanders over there, did he not?"

Heero's cobalt eyes narrowed, but he refused to speak as he continued to hover over the unconscious Confessor.

"Archers," Odin commanded. The archers immediately aimed their bows at the small group huddled three quarters of the way to the main doors.

Heero looked up in alarm. Duo had ordered him to make sure they got out of the Palace, now they were being threatened. He didn't want to leave his master's side, but he had his orders.

'Smug bastard,' Quatre thought about the Emperor. "Heero, don't worry about us," he called to the young soldier who was rising to his feet, still gripping his sword. Quatre had had enough of Odin's games and decided once and for all to remove himself and the others from the Emperor's list of pawns.

The blond mage started to summon a protective shield, only to stagger as he was hit hard with a dampening field. Trowa caught him before he could fall. Wufei and Meiran exchanged looks of concern, but stayed close to the girls and said nothing. Quatre, pale and panting, looked up at the tall archer and nodded his thanks. Trowa released him, but stayed near in case Quatre needed more help.

"That was your only warning, mage," Odin said. "The next time you try to cast an unauthorized spell, you will be vaporized."

Quatre gritted his teeth in frustration. Trowa and Wufei stationed themselves on either side of him, but there wasn't much any of them could do.

Heero, seeing Quatre stagger had started to rush over to them, determination written on his features. He pulled up abruptly as Odin called to him.

"Heero Yuy, do not take one more step."

The dark haired soldier spun around and his eyes widened in horror. Two guards had picked up Duo's unconscious form. One of them drew a dagger and placed it at the base of the Confessor's throat.

Odin was nearly laughing in delight now. Speaking to Quatre, he said, "You and your friends will leave when I say you can, and not a moment before. There is something I want you to witness and report to Treize when you go back." Then Odin sat back on the Throne and looked down at his son.

Heero was standing alone in the middle of the Throne room and looking around, his cobalt eyes wide, as if he were unsure of what he should do. The sword hung limp in his grasp. Duo had told him to protect the others. He must obey his orders. But if he did, he would disobey the Emperor, and Duo would be hurt. That must not happen.

"You will do as I say, or the Confessor will die." Odin wanted to make this very clear to Heero, whose cobalt eyes widened in anguish at the thought of Duo getting killed. Heero nodded vigorously, glancing frantically at Duo, who was sagging unconscious in the guards' arms.

"I will do anything you say, please don't hurt him!" he begged, dropping his sword and kicking it to the side with a clatter of steel. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Kneel," Odin ordered, thoroughly enjoying Heero's complete submission. Heero glanced once more at Duo's limp body and obeyed, dropping to his knees and leaning forward on his hands, head bowed. The Emperor smiled in satisfaction. This young man, barely older than a boy, had thought to challenge his rule. Now Heero Yuy was going to spend a lifetime paying for his audacity. It would have been more fun if the Confessor hadn't destroyed Heero's mind first. That way, Heero would be completely aware of what was being done to him. But in the end, it was better things had turned out this way.

The thought of humiliating the once self-confidant soldier was so delicious that Odin actually licked his lips in anticipation. "Crawl to me," the honey and iron voice commanded in the Throne room as the dawn began to break in the lightening sky. Heero obeyed instantly, moving forward on his hands and knees, he crawled across the marble floor, his bowed head never rising.

He had crawled about ten feet when Odin stopped him.

"On your belly."

Heero dropped flat to the floor without hesitation and started pushing himself forward with his elbows and knees. He never looked up, the dark mop of hair obscuring his face as he wormed his way to the base of the Throne. Wufei flushed red with impotent rage at what his commander was being forced to do. Quatre looked away, biting his lip to keep from crying for his friend. Trowa merely looked on mutely, his expression indecipherable.

Heero was nearing the base of the Throne now, still on his stomach. Odin stood up, looking down at his 'son'. A mocking leer spread over his chiseled features. Yes, he was definitely going to enjoy this. He stepped down to the first step leading to the Throne and waited for Heero to crawl to him. The young soldier finally made it to the base of the steps. Odin looked down at him, contempt clear in those cobalt eyes that had also marked this young man as his son.

"Lick my boots."

Heero rose to his knees and leaned forward.

"You bastard!" Quatre screamed at the Emperor, and Trowa wrapped an arm around the slight blond so he wouldn't do anything rash. Wufei was shaking with horror and rage, unable to turn away from watching his friend's humiliation.

The Emperor looked over at them and Quatre nearly cast Inferno Shock, his most powerful, single target kill spell, right then and there. It was only the image of the Palace's defensive spells disintegrating him before he could get the spell off that stopped him.

Looking back on it, it seemed to Meiran that Heero had stood up and embraced his father and Odin then leaned forward in his son's arms, a confused expression on his face. She couldn't understand what was going on. Heero, continuing to support his sire, leaned in close and whispered into the Emperor's ear, and a look of horror crossed Odin's face.

Then she saw the blood cascading down between them.

Odin Lowe, Emperor of Golgatha, also initially had difficulty understanding what had happened. One second he was standing over his son, whose mind had been destroyed by the Confessor; the next second he felt a knife slide into his unprotected stomach and slice upward. He lurched forward, feeling the blade sink deeper under his ribs, seeking out his heart. Then he felt the pain. Oh gods, he felt the pain. He tried to draw a breath, but a thousand razor blades prevented his chest muscles from working properly.

The sunlight on steel was fading from his cobalt eyes even as he heard two words whispered in his ear.

"Mission accomplished." And then death overtook him.

Heero let the Emperor slump to the floor, his life's blood already ceasing to pour from the gaping wound in his stomach as his heart stopped beating. At that moment, the sun rose over the horizon, flooding the Throne room in a myriad of colors, and bathing Heero, as he stood over the body of his father Odin Lowe in a pool of white. And the same knife that Duo had tried to use to end his own life, the one that Heero had surreptitiously removed from the Confessor's belt when he had held Duo, was still clutched in his blood-covered hand.

Then Middie walked forward until she stood at the base of the platform of the Throne and looked up at Heero. "Hail Heero Yuy, Emperor of Golgatha," she said in a ringing voice.

As one, the Golgathans knelt before their new Emperor. The Midlanders stood staring for long seconds, trying to figure out what exactly was happening.

"What the hell just happened?" Wufei demanded.

"Heero killed Odin Lowe," Trowa commented, sounding rather bemused.

"I can see that!" the blademaster snapped. "What I meant was, can he do that?"

"It appears he just did, Wufei," Trowa answered, not really sure what had just transpired either.

Wufei nearly slugged Trowa for his non-helpful answers. Instead, casting a wary eye at the kneeling Golgathans, he marched up to Middie, determined to find out what was going on. Still a bit dazed, the others trailed behind him.

"Ok, explain," he demanded as he looked at Heero, still standing in that white light. "And if you tell me Heero just killed Odin Lowe, I will be very upset." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Middie, who only grinned at him.

"Heero, how were you able to kill the Emperor. Didn't Duo's power affect you?" Quatre asked directly.

Heero looked at them briefly. At the mention of Duo, his eyes snapped back into sharp focus and without answering the mage's question, he strode over to where Duo was lying unconscious on the marble floor. He crouched down and smoothed the long bangs back out of the closed eyes, frowning at the dried blood crusted around Duo's nose and lips.

Heero looked up and saw Dorothy standing nearby with the others. "Take him to his room and see that he is cleaned up and made comfortable." His unspoken threat was clear to all of them about how Duo was to be treated.

Dorothy nodded and signaled to two guards. Carefully picking up the Confessor, they exited the Throne room. Heero watched until the doors swung shut behind them. Then he turned and looked at Middie, who smiled and bowed, gesturing for him to ascend the Throne. Heero nodded once and began to climb the steps that led up to where the seat of power waited.

By this time, Wufei was nearly dancing with frustration. "Will somebody please tell me what the hell happened?" he asked almost petulantly. "Why wasn't Heero changed by Duo's power? Or was he?" He stood still and cocked his head to the side as he thought about the scenario.

Changed by Duo's power.

Quatre heard that phrase and a memory echoed in his mind.

Changed by Duo's power. Quatre's jaw dropped as the memory surfaced full-blown in his head.

Flickering firelight and Duo's voice came rushing back to him.

'I guess the only way to describe it is love.' Duo had said.

'Love?' Trowa echoed skeptically.

'Yes, love. Only it's more than that. Once touched by it, it' Duo paused, searching for the right word, 'changes a person forever.'

"Of course! I get it!" Quatre exclaimed as Heero approached the Throne, his sky blue eyes sparkling with sudden comprehension. Oh gods, it was so simple! But wasn't that always the way? It wasn't magic that would defeat Duo's power. It was love itself.

"What?" Trowa asked, trying not to sound impatient, although he was dying to know too.

"I know why Heero wasn't affected by Duo's power!" Quatre was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. Middie turned to the blond mage and smiled conspiratorially.

"Well, are you going to tell us or not?" Wufei demanded. Only Trowa's presence stopped the blademaster from grabbing the mage's neck and wringing the explanation from him.

"Do you remember when we first met Duo, and he tried to explain his power to us?" Both Wufei and Trowa nodded. "He said it was like love. That it changed a person it was used against, causing them to love the Confessor more than their own life. Heero loved Duo and was willing to let Duo use his power on him rather than let Duo die. Since Heero already loved Duo so much, there was nothing to change and Heero wasn't affected." Quatre beamed, happy to have figured out the key to the Confessor's power at last.

Wufei and Trowa thought about it. "You mean that's it?" Wufei almost shrieked in disappointment. He couldn't quite believe it could be that simple. "He was acting the whole time?" Wufei shook his head in disbelief. "I would never have had Yuy pegged for being such a good actor."

"You are very perceptive, young wizard," Middie smiled at Quatre.

"Did Heero know?" Wufei asked, still trying to come to grips with the situation.

"No. He just trusted his feelings." Middie turned back just as Heero sat down.

A rainbow of light shot out of the Throne, accompanied by what could only be described as the sound of inhuman voices singing a single note. It was so bright the onlookers turned away as they covered their eyes.

Heero was lost in another world, a world of light and sound. Magic flowed all around him and he felt he was in the middle of an ocean of High Magic. It ebbed and flowed in tranquil luminosity, welcoming him. With a thought, he reached out with his mind and touched the ocean of light.

'Wake up,' he thought.

As if it were hearing him, the light swirled around him, faster and faster, until he wondered if he could stand it any longer or if he would drown in the power. Then, through the light, came the Voice.

"Hail, Heero Yuy. I am the Throne. I was created to drive away the darkness that threatens the land of Golgatha. What would you have of me?" It sounded like Middie, but this voice was amplified and echoed over and over on itself.

Heero blinked. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Can you locate the breach in the Barrier?"

The light swirled, and then ebbed away. "I am sorry. I do not detect any fractures." It genuinely sounded regretful.

Heero scowled but wasn't completely surprised. Then the Voice spoke to him once more.

"However, do you know that Borxx is outside Erudin and is heading to the city?"

Heero sat bolt upright. He didn't know that. "Who is Borxx?" he asked. He needed to get as much information on the monster as possible.

"She is a very powerful monster. She can cast deadly Wild magic attacks, as well as enthrall humans into doing her bidding. She has an army of goblins with her as well," the Throne added almost as an afterthought.

Heero clenched his fists and opened his eyes, looking out at the real world. He saw everyone clustered around the base of the Throne, looking up at him expectantly. He turned to Middie, but saw immediately that she was just Une once more.

"We are under an attack," he stated, but was interrupted when the first of the explosions rocked the city.

End Part 12

  Note: For those of you who are familiar with EverQuest, you will notice that I gave Quatre the spells of a level 29 wizard. Inferno Shock is a Single Target Fire Based direct damage spell. Really cool one too!

(:./annabell/sith12)